Polar Bears Have Trapped Scientists On A Russian Arctic Weather Station

Yes, they've even had to stop part of their study.

Five meteorologists are stuck in a weather station on a remote arctic island in Russia after a dozen polar bears decided to call their doorstep home.

At least ten polar bears, including mother bears with cubs, have been spotted around the weather station on the remote Troynoy island -- which is thousands of kilometres away from Moscow in the northern part of the country.

Head of the station Vadim Plotnikov told Russian News Agency TASS a bear killed one of their two dogs at the station. After informing the Northern Meteorological Department about the issue, Plotnikov said he was advised to act independently.

"A female bear has been sleeping under the station's windows since Saturday night. It's dangerous to go out as we have run short of any means to scare off the predators," Plotnikov said.

"We had to stop some of the meteorological observations."

The station has run out of flares, which is the only safe way to scare off the polar bears. The station wasn't expected to have access to flares until the next cargo delivery in a month.

However ITV News reports the weather bureau in Arkhangelsk is sending more flares and small explosive devices to scare the bears away in one week's time.

Unfortunately, some of the research has had to be abandoned as the meteorologists aren't able to reach the station platform and observation points.

But as station supervisor Vasily Shevchenki told NBC News, "the bears live in the Arctic, you know, we can't ban them from hanging around."